Device for use in making arrays of firers from seed cotton



May 1, 1934. H. c. McNAMARA ET AL 1,957,411

DEVICE FOR USE TN MAKING ARRAYS 0F FIBERS FROM SEED COTTON Filed July 10, 1935 Alf: E l lul INYENT [1R5 H- [Ii I NANARA FLT- 5 TUT T E g aym BY AT T D RNE Y5 Patented May l, 1934 DEVICE FGR USE IN MAKING ARRAYS OF FIBERS FROM SEED COTTON Homer C. McNamara,

Greenville, Tex, and

Robert T. Stutts, Clemson College, S. 0., dedicat-ed to the free use of the Public Application July 10, 1933, Serial No. 679,752

3 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 3t), 1928; 370 O. G. 757) This application is made under the Act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the Act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described maybe manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

We hereby dedicate the invention herein described to the free use or" the public in the territory of the Jnited States of America to take eflect upon the granting of a patent to us. 1

Our invention relates to a device for use in making arrays of fibers for the purpose of determining the amount and length of fibers. Cotton breeders and experimenters throughout the South are in need of a simple and reasonably accurate method and device for determining the amount and length of substaple and super-staple in the cotton samples withwhich they are work- The methods generally employed in the arraying of fibers from the commercial samples of raw cotton are not well adapted for this work, as such methods are not only slow and tedious but require special technique that can be acquired only after considerable practice and training. In order to provide this needed equipment considerable study has been given this subject with the result that a seed cotton fiber sorter has been developed which apparently fulfills the needsof the breeder and cotton experimenter.

An apparatus has been devised which is very simple in construction, and one that can be operated with ease by anyone familiar with the combing of cotton fibers on the seed, and is capable of permitting the operator with a little practice to make fiber arrays. The simple construction of the device will allow it to be placed in the hands of investigators at a low cost.

While much has been written in regard to the uniformity of cotton fibers, and great emphasis has been placed upon its importance, the cotton breeder has not been adequately provided with a mechanical device that would assist him in analyzing his selections in a manner that would llow him more accurately to evaluate his work and to measure the progress of his undertakings in more concrete terms.

The sorter which has been constructed to answer some of the questions relating to uniformity in cotton, especially from the standpoint of the breeder and investigator, consists of a device for holding one or more combed seeds in place and a series of combs through which the fibers of successive lengths may be pulled from the seeds, by means of tweezers or forceps, at onesixteenth inch intervals and placed in arrays on the receiving surface of velvet or other laboratory apparatus for examination. The pulls may be weighed separately and the percentages by weight for each given length determined.

The apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the entire device; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a top plan view; Fig. 4 is a view of one of the fiber combs; and Fig. 5 is a detailed view of the adjustable strip.

The device consists of a base 11 over which is supported a cross member 9 in a horizontal position. Cross member 9 is held in place by uprights 16 rigidly attached to the base 11. A series of fiber combs 7 are associated in a parallel position with said cross member in such a manner as to permit the rapid separation of the cotton fibers from the seed and the separation from each other of fibers of difierent lengths. Specifically, the sorter involves five new and distinct features: (1) The means by which the seed is held in place to prevent anymovement while the fibers are being pulled; (2) provision to accommodate seeds of various sizes and lint of different len ths; (3) provision for .iolding combs definitely in place, with ready release and replacement; l) provision for removal of combs without disarrangement of remaining fibers and (5) difierential spacing of the combs.

(l) The combed seeds are held in place on the top surface of cross member 9 by an adjustable strip 1 provided with a forward-sloping concavity or concavities 2 into which a cotton seed may be snugly fitted. In order that the combed seed 3 may be firmly pressed against the back comb 4 of the comb series '7, a bar 5 with an adjustable ring tension 6 is placed over the seed 3, pressing it downward and forward, thus preventing any movement of the seed during the pulling and arraying of the fibers. One end of the spring 6 attached to the bar 5 and the other end to the base 11.

Two hook supports 20 are attached to the rear face of cross member 9, on which may be placed bar 5 while cotton seed are being placed in the concavity 2 of strip 1 and the extended cotton fibers 2i placed between comb teeth.

(2) The adjustable strip 1 for holding the seed in place is provided with several concavities 2 of dliierent sizes to accommodate seeds of various sizes and shapes.

(3) The inch combs 7 are held in place parallel with the front surface of cross member 9 by a inch screw 3 threaded through the main cross member 9 of the frame and successively through the entire series of combs 7, as shown at 17. The screw 8 is threaded with a i g inch thread which permits each comb to be released or re-engaged by a single turn, and is equipped with a hand crank 19 to permit turning of the screw.

(4) After being released by the screw 8, each comb remains in place until drawn by the operator directly away from the unreleased combs, this direction being determined by the mounting of the combs on two round guide rods 10, one on each side, so that lateral or vertical motion is avoided, and the position of the remaining fibers is not disturbed. The guide rods 10 are rigidly attached to the cross member 9 and are horizontal for a distance of about 2 /2 inches and then turn downward for a distance of about 1 inches passing through the wooden base 11 and fastened on the under side with a nut 12. Small metal sleeves 13 about l-inch in length are placed over these rods 10 and rest on a lock nut 14 on top of the wooden base 11 which holds the combs in a horizontal position, as shown at 15, and allows room for the hand to be passed under them for reassembling after an array has been made. The guide rods pass loosely through holes in combs 7.

(5) For certain types of work in which the finer gradations in length of lint are not important, this mechanism provides for a differential spacing for the combs in units of inch. If a wider spacing than inch apart for the combs is desired they may be readily placed at inch, inch, A,, inch, etc., apart by simply turning the screw 8 the desired number of turns before engaging the next comb. The surplus combs may be dropped into the horizontal resting position 15.

If for some particular type of work a different spacing of the teeth from that with which the machine is regularly equipped, is desired, such different spacings may readily be provided at a nominal cost, as one set of combs with different spaced teeth may be interchanged for another set.

While it appears desirable as a general rule to attempt the arraying of fibers from a single seed at a time the present model may be made to accommodate at least three combed seeds by simply providing combs with teeth inserted for a distance of about 1 inches instead of two inches.

In order to work with cottons of different lengths more combs or fewer combs, as the case demands, are brought into the vertical working position.

In using this invention, the seed cotton sample is prepared for arraying by removing a single seed from a lock of cotton in such a manner that the lint on the seed parts naturally along the raphe.

The fibers which are attached to the seed are then carefully combed out on one side and so straightened that there are no tangles or mats in the combed portion. Then pressing the combed fibers lightly into the combs 4 of the sorter and with a slight backward pull the seed is firmed down into the most suitable concavity 2 for holding it and the bar 5 equipped with the spring tension 6, placed over the seed. If the lint is not well engaged by the comb teeth it may be forced down into the teeth by use of a smooth wire or needle. Combs are then released and dropped until the longest of the fibers are projecting beyond the teeth. Then with a pair of suitable forceps the projecting fibers are carefully pulled out and laid down on velvet. After all of the projecting fibers are pulled from the seed another comb is released and dropped and the projecting fibers gripped and pulled out. As successive combs are released and dropped the shorter fibers are pulled out and the array completed.

Having fully disclosed our discovery, we claim as our invention:

1. A device for use in making arrays of fibers from seed cotton comprising a base, a cross member, means to rigidly support said cross member above the base in a horizontal position, a series of fiber combs, means to maintain said fiber combs in desired positions parallel to and in front of the cross member, means to hold the seed of seed cotton firmly against the rear side of the teeth of the back comb and of said series of fiber combs, and means to separate individual combs from said series of fiber combs.

2. A device for use in making arrays of fibers from seed cotton comprising a base, a cross member, means to support said cross member in a horizontal position above the base, a series of adjustable fiber combs, means to hold said fiber combs in desired spaced positions parallel to and in front of said cross member, a removable member adjacent the upper surface of the cross member and the back comb of the comb series and having concavities on its upper surface so shaped as to receive the seed of seed cotton of different sizes and to hold the seed firmly against the rear side of the teeth of the back comb of said series of fiber combs and guide rod means on which to separate individual combs from the series of fiber combs.

3. In a seed cotton fiber sorting device having a series of fiber combs, an adjustable member having concavities so shaped as to receive the seed of seed cotton of different sizes, positioned adjacent the rear side of the teeth of the back comb of said series of fiber combs, and means to hold said seed firmly in said concavities and against the rear side of the comb teeth.

HOMER C. MCNAMARA. ROBERT T. STUTTS. 

